Department for Education

Faith Schools

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the written answer byBaroness Barran on 9 March (HL5960), what further checks they have made to the 81 settings that claimed to have changed their operations; what steps they have taken to ensure that the 21 settings that have closed their operations have not reopened in another location; what powers local authorities have to close settings that are not compliant with safeguarding requirements; and whether, in the consultation to be launched later this year, they will seek to define "school" so as to enable Ofsted to close unsatisfactory settings more speedily.

Baroness Barran: It is a criminal offence under Section 96 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 to conduct an independent school which is not registered with the Department. Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools (HMCI) may, under Section 97 of that Act, inspect without notice any setting which they have 'reasonable cause to believe' is the site of an unregistered independent school. Settings that have previously been inspected under Section 97 and where the proprietor has been issued with a warning notice are likely to be inspected again under Section 97 to check compliance. This includes settings where the second inspection confirms closure or a change to compliant operation. A setting may not be inspected again under Section 97 where HMCI no longer has reasonable cause to believe that an unregistered school is being conducted. This may occur, for example, if the setting has registered as a school and is then subject to inspection as such. Ofsted considers all intelligence it receives about unregistered independent schools and will undertake a Section 97 inspection where it has reasonable cause to believe that an unregistered independent school is operating. This includes where new intelligence is received about previously closed sites or where proprietors that have received warning notices may be operating on alternative sites.The department has consulted on expanding the categories of full-time institutions that will be regulated in the same way as independent schools, as well as defining what is ’full-time’ for these purposes. Following this consultation, the government intends to legislate in this area at the next available opportunity.Local authorities have overarching responsibility for safeguarding children and young people in their area, whether these children attend a school (either registered or unregistered), or an out-of-school setting (a setting not offering full-time education). They have a range of legal powers already in place to support them in this responsibility. The department will continue to work with authorities to ensure they are utilising the existing legal powers available to them. The department will also be reviewing and strengthening our existing guidance for local authorities on unregistered schools and out-of-school settings to support them to do this.

Schools: Bible and Koran

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government whether (1) the National Curriculum, and (2) other guidance provided to schools, requires that copies of the Koran and the Bible should receive equal respect; and if not, what plans they have to ensure that they are treated equally.

Baroness Barran: Every school should actively promote mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs. Amongst other criteria, Ofsted will inspect pupils’ knowledge of, and respect for, different people's faiths, feelings, and values.All schools must offer a broad and balanced curriculum, which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental, and physical development of pupils.In response to recent incidents, the government has been repeatedly clear that there is no blasphemy law in the United Kingdom. The department has no plans to give specific guidance on the respect that should be shown to specific religious texts. However, the Home Office is drafting guidance on blasphemy incidents, which the department will support with as needed.

Apprentices

Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Barran on 8 March (HL5809), whatare the percentages of each of the apprenticeship levels studied in each of the age groups.

Baroness Barran: The following table shows the proportion of participating apprentices in each age group studying at each apprenticeship level for the 2019/20 to 2021/22 academic years. Age groupLevelPercentage Learner Participation for each age group2019/202020/212021/22TotalTotal100.0%100.0%100.0%Intermediate Apprenticeship31.3%26.0%23.7%Advanced Apprenticeship47.1%45.8%44.6%Higher Apprenticeship23.0%29.2%32.3%Under 19Total100.0%100.0%100.0%Intermediate Apprenticeship55.7%51.7%47.9%Advanced Apprenticeship43.3%46.0%48.1%Higher Apprenticeship3.9%4.1%5.1%19-24Total100.0%100.0%100.0%Intermediate Apprenticeship28.7%24.7%22.4%Advanced Apprenticeship53.1%52.4%51.4%Higher Apprenticeship20.1%24.2%27.0%25+Total100.0%100.0%100.0%Intermediate Apprenticeship23.4%18.1%16.1%Advanced Apprenticeship44.1%40.9%38.6%Higher Apprenticeship33.0%41.3%45.6%Note: (1) Percentages derived from volumes published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/bc41867b-b0ad-4967-7403-08db2469d98f.(2) As learners can study at more than one apprenticeship level in an academic year, the proportions at Intermediate level, Advanced level and Higher level may sum to be more than 100%.Further apprenticeship statistics can be found in the Apprenticeships and traineeships statistics publication, which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships.

Students: Loans

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given toreintroducing maintenance grants for the most disadvantaged students; and what plans they have to review the parental threshold for maximum loan support given the increased cost of living.

Baroness Barran: The government has no plans to reintroduce maintenance grants, as it believes that income-contingent student loans are a fair and sensible way of financing higher education (HE). It is only right that those who benefit from the system should make a fair contribution to its costs.The switch from maintenance grants to loans in 2016 has not resulted in fewer people going into HE. In 2022 record numbers of 18-year-olds entered university, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. An English 18-year-old from a disadvantaged background today is 86% more likely to go to university than they were in 2010.Decisions on student finance have had to be taken alongside other spending priorities to ensure that the system remains financially sustainable and that the costs of HE are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university.

Home Education: Registration and Regulation

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer of Baroness Barran on 9 March (HL5961), what estimates they have made of the number of children not regularly in school; whether there has been an increase in the number of children absent from school since the COVID-19 pandemic; and whether they will fund local education authorities to maintain registers of children not in school until they can legislate to make such registers a statutory requirement.

Baroness Barran: School attendance has improved since 2010, but COVID-19 and its aftermath significantly damaged attendance levels. COVID-19 caused higher levels of sickness absence, and exacerbated existing problems with persistent absence, with vulnerable children particularly affected. Attendance is now improving, and the government is committed to returning to pre-pandemic levels and better.In autumn/spring 2018/19 overall attendance was 96.7%. The current academic year to date attendance is 4.3 percentage points lower at 92.4%.Local authorities have a statutory duty to make arrangements that enable them to establish, the identities of children in their area who are not receiving a suitable education. To assist with fulfilling this duty, the department expects all local authorities in England to maintain some form of register to help identify these children, in line with our guidance to local authorities on elective home education. This function is funded through existing budgets and resources.When the suitable legislative opportunity arises to take forward the Children Not in School measures, the department will review and undertake a further new burdens assessment to assess the level of funding required to support implementation of the registers, as well as for the proposed local authority duty to support home educating families.

Apprentices and Vocational Guidance: Travellers

Baroness Whitaker: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that targeted careers advice and the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme reaches Gypsy and Traveller young people, including those who are being educated at home.

Baroness Barran: The government is committed to ensuring that all young people and adults can access high-quality careers information, advice, and guidance, regardless of their background.The department is currently developing a Get the Jump communications pack to help Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) stakeholders share information about post-16 and post-18 education and training choices with GRT parents and young people. We will share the pack with members of the department’s GRT stakeholder group at its next meeting and will discuss how we can effectively support GRT young people.The National Careers Service also provides free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills and the Labour Market in England.  It is delivered by over 750 careers advisers who help customers to make informed choices about their career options, whatever their age, ethnic group, and background.Working with the Careers and Enterprise Company, Youth Employment UK have developed a free, new online programme designed to support home-educated young people. This project aims to engage young people with trusted, self-directed learning and high-quality signposting to information about pathways, online experiences of the workplace, sector information, and transitions support. Resources are being developed to be used by multi-agency frontline workers, local authorities, and support staff working with young people being educated outside of mainstream education.The Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme is raising awareness of apprenticeships and T Levels to young people in schools and colleges. Since September 2022, it has worked with over 380,000 young people from across all regions and demographics.In addition to working with schools that request support across the country, ASK targets selected levelling-up areas and works closely with schools with students identified as requiring additional support through its development school programme.ASK works closely with local authorities to identify young people who are not in education employment or training (NEET), or at risk of being NEET to provide additional support. The programme also works with local authorities and a variety of supporting stakeholders to provide the service to young people outside of education.

Department for Business and Trade

Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill

Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Callananon 21 February (HL Deb col 1562) that “The key sectors specified in the [Strikes (Minimum Service Levels)] Bill are broadly the same set that were defined as important public services in the Trade Union Act 2016”, why they are changing the category “Education of those aged under 17”, as in the 2016 Act, to the broader definition found in the Bill of “Education services”.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: The sectors in the Strikes Bill broadly stem from the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, as amended by the Trade Union Act 2016, as they have long been recognised as important for society to function effectively. Strike action in education services has the potential for far reaching consequences for members of the public, for example children and young people who can be denied access to vital learning if education services strike. It is only right that these services, which the public pay for and expect to be there when they need them, are included in the Bill.

Local Government: Coronavirus

Lord Smith of Hindhead: To ask His Majesty's Government whether all the undistributed (1) Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant, and (2) Additional Restrictions Grant, scheme funds have now been paid back by local authorities; and what is the total amount that has been repaid.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: The Government is working closely with Local Authorities to reconcile undistributed monies for all Covid 19 business grant schemes, including the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant (OHLG) and Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG). The value of the schemes and receivables due to the Department will be included in the BEIS Annual Report and Accounts which will be published later in the year.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Myanmar: Land Mines

Baroness Nye: To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they are providing for demining projects in areas of Myanmar not under the control of the military.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government does not fund any demining projects in Myanmar, as demining organisations are not permitted to conduct mine clearance activities there. Risk education is permitted, and this financial year the FCDO's Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP) is providing £600,000 in funding for UK NGO the HALO Trust and Mines Advisory Group to deliver this activity. Humanitarian mine action is a neutral activity, and the GMAP Myanmar programme currently delivers risk education to at risk groups and communities where conditions allow, regardless of who is in control.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine during the celebration of Easter.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Ukraine, and its partners, seek a just and lasting peace for Ukraine which affirms its territorial integrity and sovereignty as per the UN Charter, and provides stability for the global community.President Putin has shown no interest in an enduring peace or ending the suffering caused by his unprovoked, premediated attack on Ukraine.If Russia is serious about advancing the prospects for peace, it must immediately cease attacks against Ukraine's critical national infrastructure and innocent civilians, and withdraw its forces from Ukraine.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the amount of foreign national prisoners in England and Wales.

Lord Bellamy: The removal of Foreign National Offenders is a Government priority. The Ministry of Justice continues to work closely with the Home Office to maximise the number of deportations.Our new Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Albania entered into force in May 2022, and we are looking to negotiate new Prisoner Transfer Agreements with key EU Member States and wider-world countries. We also signed a new protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons in October 2021 to widen the scope of transferring prisoners without their consent.The Bill of Rights will strengthen the wider framework around appeals made on Article 8 grounds (the right to private and family life) by foreign criminals subject to deportation. Clause 8 of the Bill sets out how the courts should consider the compatibility of new deportation laws.Clause 20 of the Bill of Rights establishes a threshold for successful appeals on Article 6 grounds. This provision is intended to strengthen the approach in this area.

Animal Welfare: Sentencing

Lord Kamall: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to theSentencing Council Animal CrueltyGuidelines, published on 10 May 2022, why the Sentencing Council have proposed changing the maximum penalty for animal cruelty from five years as agreed in the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021, to three years' custody for the most serious offending.

Lord Bellamy: The maximum penalty for any statutory offence is prescribed by Parliament. There are no plans to reduce the maximum penalty for animal cruelty offences from the current five years.Sentencing guidelines are produced by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, which is independent of the Government. The guidelines set out factors which courts must consider when deciding on a sentence and are designed to increase consistency and transparency in sentencing.The Sentencing Council has consulted on revisions to the animal cruelty guideline to reflect recent legislation. The Council has proposed a sentence range of a fine up to three years imprisonment. As the consultation document explains, the upper limit for a sentence range is often lower than the maximum penalty set out in legislation to allow headroom for sentencers dealing with cases of exceptional seriousness. In such cases, statute permits a sentencer to step outside the offence range and impose any sentence up to the maximum.The Sentencing Council’s consultation closed on 1 August. The Council is expected to publish the final guidelines in May of this year, having taken time to consider the consultation responses and make any revisions that they consider appropriate. Once published they would come into effect in July 2023.The consultation paper can be found here: Animal cruelty sentencing guidelines consultation (sentencingcouncil.org.uk).

Prisons: Education

Lord Woodley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bellamy on 6 March (HL5835), how will the modelto deliver education when current contract arrangements end for the Prison Education Framework integrate with the One HMPPS programme.

Lord Bellamy: The One HMPPS programme will bring prisons and probation closer together to achieve better outcomes for victims, communities and offenders by ensuring the best model possible to deliver core services. Key One HMPPS principles informing the development of the successor contracts to the Prison Education Framework are the prioritisation of regional working and increased focus on the frontline. The two programmes will continue to work closely together as future models are developed.

Prisons: Education

Lord Woodley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bellamy on 6 March (HL5835),whether the model to deliver education when current contract arrangements end for the Prison Education Framework will use different lots of prison groups to those under the existing Framework.

Lord Bellamy: We are creating a Prisoner Education Service (PES) that will ensure prisoners improve skills such as literacy and numeracy, acquire relevant vocational qualifications, and access employment and training opportunities on release.A regional lotting structure will be applied to the successor contracts to the current Prison Education Framework. Final decisions will be communicated through the procurement process for the new contracts which is due to begin in summer 2023.

Prisons: Education

Lord Woodley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bellamy on 6 March (HL5835),whether the key performance indicators for the model to deliver education when current contract arrangements end for the Prison Education Framework will differ from those of the existing Framework; and if so, in what ways.

Lord Bellamy: We are creating a Prisoner Education Service (PES) that will ensure prisoners improve skills such as literacy and numeracy, acquire relevant vocational qualifications, and access employment and training opportunities on release. Final decisions on the key performance indicators for the successor contracts to the current Prison Education Framework arrangements have yet to be taken. The key performance indicators will be communicated through the procurement process for the new contracts which is due to begin in Summer 2023.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the cost to the public purse for providing translators for foreign national prisoners in each of the last five years.

Lord Bellamy: It is not possible to provide the information in the form requested. The costs of translators and interpreters cannot be disaggregated based on the nationality of the individuals that require these services. In addition, the level of aggregation at which cost data are collected combines all areas of the Ministry of Justice, including prisons, probation and the courts. It is not possible, therefore to obtain the costs associated with providing translation services solely for foreign national offenders.

Prisons: Education

Baroness Blower: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bellamy on 6 March (HL5835), when the tendering process for the delivery of prison education when the current contract for the Prison Education Framework ends will (1) start, and (2) end.

Lord Bellamy: Following engagement with suppliers from the private, public and third sector, procurement for new successor contracts to the current Prison Education Framework arrangements is due to commence in Summer 2023, contracts are due to be awarded to successful bidders in autumn 2024. Contracts are expected to go live in April 2025.

Prisons: Education

Baroness Blower: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bellamy on 6 March (HL5835),whether there will be a formal consultation over the model to deliver prison education when current contract arrangements for the Prison Education Framework end; and if so, when the consultation period will (1) start, and (2) end.

Lord Bellamy: We want to develop a healthy market by encouraging the greatest variety of prison education suppliers possible to respond to our invitation to tender for new successor contracts to the current Prison Education Framework arrangements.We have conducted extensive engagement with the market to communicate our vision for the future education service, demonstrate the range of opportunities available to suppliers across the education and skills sector, and to invite input into the future service design.Our engagement with the market involved a launch event in April 2022, as well as subject-specific webinars and 1:1 meetings with attendees. Further market engagement events were held in November 2022 and February 2023, illustrating how market feedback is being used to shape service design. Participants were given the opportunity to provide their feedback regarding the proposed future prison education service model, with a deadline of 8 March 2023.Other key stakeholders consulted during this period have included prisoners and those with lived experience; HMPPS operational staff; trade unions; and third sector organisations.The procurement process for the new successor contracts is due to commence in summer 2023.

Prisons: Education

Baroness Blower: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bellamy on 6 March (HL5835), what is their timeline for the (1) development, and (2) delivery, of the model to deliver prison education whencurrent contract arrangements for the Prison Education Framework end.

Lord Bellamy: We are creating a Prisoner Education Service (PES) that will ensure prisoners improve skills such as literacy and numeracy, acquire relevant vocational qualifications, and access employment and training opportunities on release. We have already begun making investments including through the recruitment of new Heads of Education Skills and Work and Neurodiversity Support leads in prisons. We are also working with employers to improve skills training and deliver apprenticeships for prisoners.New successor contracts to the current Prison Education Framework (PEF) arrangements will be an important part of PES. Early development of the successor contracts commenced back in April 2022 with a period of initial market consultation involving input from stakeholders and potential suppliers, to help shape thinking on the new procurement and contracting arrangements that will improve performance, quality learner engagement and value for money.Additional market warming sessions were held in November 2022 and February 2023, with further feedback gathered. The procurement process for new successor contracts is due to commence in summer 2023. Contracts are due to be awarded to successful bidders in autumn 2024 and are expected to go live in April 2025.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government how many foreign nationals are currently held in prisons in England and Wales.

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what are the top 10 countries from which foreign national prisoners originate.

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the cost of housing foreign national prisoners for each of the last five years.

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government how many foreign national prisoners have been released under the (1) Early Removal Scheme (ERS), and (2) Tariff-Expired Removal Scheme (TERS).

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government how many foreign national prisoners have escaped custody in each of the last five years.

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government whether anycategory of foreign national prisoners has access to (1) legal aid, or (2) any other public funding.

Lord Bellamy: As of 31 December 2022, there were 9,797 Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) held in prisons in England and Wales, with the top ten origin countries being Albania, Poland, Romania, Ireland (Republic of), Lithuania, Jamaica, Pakistan, Somalia, Portugal, and Iraq.We do not disaggregate prison run costs by nationality and the cost to hold individuals depends on category. Our unit costs for holding prisoners are published on Gov.uk alongside the HM Prison and Probation Service Annual Reports and Accounts.Under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) and Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS) FNOs are removed from the UK, they are not released from their sentence and are liable to continue their sentence should they return to the UK. ERS applies to those serving determinate sentences, and TERS to those serving indeterminate sentences (Life or Imprisonment for Public Protection, which stopped being used in 2012).Between January 2010 and June 2022, the Home Office removed 22,707 FNOs through ERS with 1,322 of those in the year ending June 2022. Since its implementation in May 2012, 571 FNOs have been removed through TERS. The disparity in numbers under the two schemes is due to there being significantly fewer FNOs with indeterminate sentences than determinate, and the need for the tariff to be expired before they can be removed.The below table shows the number of FNOs who escaped from custody over the last 5 years. A prisoner escapes when they pass beyond the perimeter of a secure prison or the control of escorting staff. All three from 2017-18 were recaptured within 30 days.Year2017-182018-192019-202020-212021-22Number of Foreign National Offenders escaped from custody3..*......* Figures of 1 and 2 are supressed A Foreign National Offender may access legal aid if they satisfy the relevant eligibility criteria: their legal issue is in scope, as set out in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, and they pass relevant means and merits tests. For immigration matters, all immigration detainees held in prison can access 30 minutes of legally aided legal advice. This provides a functional equivalent to the advice available to detainees held in immigration removal centres. Broader access to public funds would be based on the immigration status of an individual.The Bill of Rights will strengthen the wider framework around appeals made on Article 8 grounds (the right to private and family life) by foreign criminals subject to deportation. Clause 8 of the Bill sets out how the courts should consider the compatibility of new deportation laws.Clause 20 of the Bill of Rights establishes a threshold for successful appeals on Article 6 grounds. This new provision is intended to strengthen the existing approach in this area.

Department of Health and Social Care

Junior Doctors: Strikes

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to ensure that medical care is not disrupted during the junior doctor strikes.

Lord Markham: The National Health Service makes every effort through rigorous contingency planning to minimise disruption and its impact on patients and the public during industrial action. In the case of recent strikes by junior doctors, the NHS had plans in place to engage consultants, Speciality and Associate Specialist doctors and allied health professionals to provide cover. Where necessary, trusts also cancelled non-urgent appointments to prioritise urgent and emergency care. We are urging the British Medical Association junior doctors committee to approach talks constructively for the sake of both patients and their own members.

Bereavement Counselling: Training

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure health and social care staff receive culturally-informed training in bereavement, particularly how to identify those at risk of complex grief disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Lord Markham: The End of Life Care for All e-learning training programme has been developed by Health Education England (HEE) to ensure health and social care staff are equipped and well-supported to deliver bereavement care. One of the nine modules in this programme is on bereavement and covers palliative care, sudden death, and childhood bereavement. There are also specific sessions in this programme which provide training on identifying cultural barriers, supporting people from diverse ethnic backgrounds, and identifying the risk factors that can impact on the grieving process and affect a carer’s bereavement outcome. NHS England is promoting the uptake of this training programme through its Strategic Clinical Networks. There are many other e-learning programmes available at HEE’s e-learning platform that deliver more specialised training on bereavement, for example after suicide or baby loss, and on post-traumatic stress disorder.

Social Services: Finance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toprovide a fully funded plan (1) to meet the needs of (a) older, and (b) disabled, people and their carers, and (2) to address the staffing crisis in social care.

Lord Markham: The Government is making available up to £7.5 billion in additional funding over two years to support adult social care and discharge. This historic funding boost will ensure that local authorities can continue to meet the eligible care and support needs of people in their area and deliver tangible improvements to social care services. We remain committed to the 10 year vision set out in the People at the Heart of Care white paper, which covers older and disabled people and their carers. We will shortly publish a plan for adult social care system reform. The plan will build on the progress made so far to implement the 10 year vision set out in the People at the Heart of Care white paper.

Health Services: Private Sector

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government which routine procedures previously provided by the NHS are now onlydeliveredthrough private companies.

Lord Markham: This information is not collected in the format requested. Local commissioning decisions are made by integrated care boards based on their local need. Information on the procedures commissioned locally is not held by the Department. National Health Service commissioners are expected to take National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance fully into account alongside local priorities in designing services that meet the needs of their populations.

Sports: Health Hazards

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing for research into the potential long-term health impacts, including an increased risk of dementia, of contact sport.

Lord Markham: The Department of Health and Social Care commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is supporting research on the long-term effects of sport on brain health through the NIHR MedTech Co-operative. This includes a study on the detection of prodromal dementia symptoms in former professional footballers. The NIHR is also contributing to a £9.5 million research call to establish a United Kingdom Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) platform. The platform will support new research on the health impacts of TBI and concussion occurring through different contexts including sport. Additionally, the NIHR is supporting research into a potential link between concussion and dementia through the PROTECT study.The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including the potential health impacts of contact sport. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has established a new Concussion in Sport Research Forum led by the Medical Research Council and UK Research and Innovation. The aim of this group is to bring together key academic experts with experience of traumatic brain injury, concussion and related areas to identify priority research questions for the sporting sector.The Government remains committed to working with sports stakeholders to build on the positive work that is already taking place to mitigate the causes and effects of concussion in sport.

Integrated Care Boards: Ministers

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the role of ministers who are linked with Integrated Care Boards.

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government how the effectiveness of linking ministers with Integrated Care Boards will be measured.

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government which minister is linked with each Integrated Care Board.

Lord Markham: Ministers regularly meet leaders from integrated care systems, including chairs and chief executives of integrated care boards and chairs of integrated care partnerships to discuss a range of issues on the delivery and improvement of health and care. As part of the ongoing engagement, we will seek to combine the benefits of a sustained relationship with the opportunity for Ministers to engage with different systems.

Focal Therapy

Lord Aberdare: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to increase awareness among (1) patients, and (2) medical professionals, of the use of focal therapies including focused ultrasound to treat cancer patients.

Lord Aberdare: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential use of focal therapies in supporting the NHS to address the cancer treatment backlog.

Lord Aberdare: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they have taken to reduce the regional variation across the UK in access to treatment for focal therapies including focused ultrasound.

Lord Markham: While focal therapies offer promise, they are not yet recommended for wider adoption and spread across the National Health Service because more evidence is needed. As part of developing their guidance and recommendations, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence seeks input from professionals and patient associations and, through its clinical commissioning policy route, NHS England encourages clinicians working in the NHS in England to submit new policy topics to enable patients to quickly benefit from innovative, evidence-based treatments.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Government: Elections

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how successfully localauthorities will be able to implement the new Voter ID legislation at thelocal elections in May.

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people in England had applied for the Voter Authority Certificate by 1 March; how many applications had been rejected; how many Voter Authority Certificates had been issued; what estimate they have made of the number of voters that will need a Voter Authority Certificate; and what estimate they have made of the number of people who will apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: I refer the Noble Lady to the Commons UQ response here, to the Cabinet Office published survey on levels of ownership of photographic identification, and to the New Burdens funding methodology for the Elections Act 2022 available here.Information regarding applications for Voter Authority Certificates is  published online. The rejection of an application is a matter for the relevant Electoral Registration Officer.The Association of Electoral Administrators is providing relevant training for Returning Officers.The Office for Students encourages higher education providers to promote electoral registration. Students can register at their home address or their term-time address or both.UQ response (pdf, 403.0KB)Photographic ID ownership (pdf, 86.6KB)New Burdens funding (pdf, 528.3KB)

Local Government: Elections

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how successfully local authorities will be able to implement the new Voter ID legislation at the local elections in May.

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of eligible voters who may be unable to vote at polling stations due to the new Voter ID legislation, either because of (1) a lack of acceptable ID, or (2) a lack of awareness of the new requirements; and what training is being provided for (a) polling station officers, and (b) returning officers, to ensure that they prepared to judge the (i) veracity of official documents, and (ii) the authenticity of photo IDs.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: I refer the Noble Lady to the Commons UQ response here, to the Cabinet Office published survey on levels of ownership of photographic identification, and to the New Burdens funding methodology for the Elections Act 2022 available here.Information regarding applications for Voter Authority Certificates is  published online. The rejection of an application is a matter for the relevant Electoral Registration Officer.The Association of Electoral Administrators is providing relevant training for Returning Officers.The Office for Students encourages higher education providers to promote electoral registration. Students can register at their home address or their term-time address or both.UQ response (pdf, 403.0KB)Voter Identification (pdf, 86.6KB)New Burdens Funding (pdf, 528.3KB)

Refugees: Ukraine

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish details of how the £150 million funding for local authorities to support people on Ukraine visa schemes into longer term accommodation will be allocated.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The £150 million funding will be allocated between the different parts of the UK in relation to their proportion of Ukrainian guests. We are seeking to provide clarity for local authorities and devolved governments on the allocation of funding as quickly as possible, and will set out further details in due course.

Private Rented Housing: Internet

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their white paper A fairer private rented sector (CP 693), published on 16 June 2022, what progress they have made on the establishment of the Property Portal.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: We are conducting ongoing policy and digital development which has included user research with potential users of the portal, such as private landlords, property agents, local authorities and private renters. We will continue to conduct testing of potential solutions for the property portal to make sure the system works for different users. Announcements will be made in the usual way.

Electoral Register: Students

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to issue new guidance on how educational institutions should uphold their requirement to cooperate with Election Registration Officers in facilitating the electoral registration of students.

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to remind educational institutions that they should offer voting registration op-in as part of their institutional enrolment in order to tackle low registration rates among young people.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: I refer the Noble Lord to the Commons UQ response here, to the Cabinet Office published survey on levels of ownership of photographic identification, and to the New Burdens funding methodology for the Elections Act 2022 available here.Information regarding applications for Voter Authority Certificates is  published online. The rejection of an application is a matter for the relevant Electoral Registration Officer.The Association of Electoral Administrators is providing relevant training for Returning Officers.The Office for Students encourages higher education providers to promote electoral registration. Students can register at their home address or their term-time address or both.UQ response (pdf, 403.0KB)Photographic identification (pdf, 86.6KB)New Burdens funding (pdf, 528.3KB)

First Time Buyers: Government Assistance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government how manyfirst-time buyers they have offered financialsupport to in each year since 2008, broken down by local authority area.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Government has delivered a range of interventions in recent years to promote home ownership to first time buyers. Data is not available for all schemesThe Government also stipulates that developers support first time buyers through s106 agreements in the planning system (for example providing Shared Ownership and First Homes) The latest statistics published on first time buyers offered financial support are as follows (attached) (to end September 2022):Mortgage Guarantee Scheme: See Table 6 at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1135081/Q3_2022_MGS_Quarterly_Statstical_Release_vFinal_230208.pdfHelp to Buy Equity Loan: See Table 1a at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-data-to-30-september-2022  Help to Buy ISA: See quarterly statistics at: Help to Buy: ISA Scheme Quarterly Statistics: December 2015 to 30 September 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Help to Buy: LISA: See table 2 at: Commentary for Annual savings statistics: June 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Mortgage guarantee scheme (pdf, 353.2KB)Help to buy equity loan (pdf, 96.4KB)Help to buy ISA (pdf, 87.5KB)

Home Office

Passports: Babies

Lord Mann: To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance they provide to migrants settling in the UK to obtain UK passports for UK-born babies.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: Where a foreign national settling in the UK wishes to obtain a passport for a UK-born child for whom they have parental responsibility, they may apply for a child passport through the normal range of available HMPO application processes.His Majesty’s Passport Office will assess whether the child is a British citizen in accordance with the British Nationality Act 1981, which requires the parent to be settled in the United Kingdom when the child is born, and also provides an alternative mechanism for UK-born children to acquire British citizenship through registration. HMPO provides an enquiry service to assist customers making passport applications.

Asylum

Lord Strasburger: To ask His Majesty's Government what are the legal routes to the UK for citizens of Somalia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Eritrea, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar or the Democratic Republic of the Congo who are applying for asylum.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The UK does not accept asylum claims from abroad. Whilst we sympathise with people in many difficult situations around the world, we are not bound to consider asylum claims from the very large numbers of people overseas who might like to come here. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach which is the fastest route to safety, in line with the 1951 UN Convention.Our resettlement schemes have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people including global schemes to start new lives in the UK. The UK welcomes people from all over the world through the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Mandate Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship as well as country specific routes such as Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme as well as Ukraine and BNO schemes. This commitment, alongside a fair and firm asylum system, will ensure we continue to offer safe and legal routes to the UK for those in need of protection.There are additional global safe and legal routes for people to come to the UK should they wish to join family members here, work or study. They would need to meet the requirements of the relevant Immigration Rule under which they were applying to qualify for a visa. Details about the criteria and how to apply are available on GOV.UK at: http://www.gov.uk/apply-uk-visa.

Asylum: Hong Kong

Lord Tyrie: To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers from Hong Kong have been waiting for their case to be processed for longer than (1) six months, (2) one year, and (3) 18 months.

Lord Tyrie: To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum applications were processed from individuals from (1) Hong Kong, (2) Ukraine, and (3) Afghanistan, in the past 12 months.

Lord Tyrie: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of Hong Kong asylum seekers are in temporary accommodation; and what proportion of those have no access to Wi-Fi.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: As of 10/03/2023, there are 52 Asylum Seekers in the Asylum Support Scheme with a Hong Kong nationality out of a total 108,700 Asylum Seekers. 22 of these 52 are currently in temporary accommodation.All service users are entitled to access Wi-Fi wherever it is available with no restrictions placed on them accessing these services by the Home Office.In 2022, 17 initial decisions were made on applications from Hong Kong nationals, 4 initial decisions were made on applications from Ukrainian nationals and 1,842 initial decisions were made on applications from Afghanistan nationals.As at 31 Dec 2022, 115 Hong Kong nationals had been awaiting an initial decision for more than 6 months while 11 had been waiting 6 months or less (main applicants only). Please note that any further breakdowns in wait time are not published.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the undocumented migrants arriving on small boats in 2022 were first registered in other countries as asylum seekers or immigrants; what were the numbers in the top 10 countries of such registrations; and what were the numbers by nationality from the top 25 countries of origin of such migrants into the UK.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: Figures relating to registration of asylum claims in third countries are not available in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Solar Power: Housing

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide aid schemes to encourage more households to install solar power.

Lord Callanan: The Government’s energy efficiency schemes, such as the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Home Upgrade Grant, and the Energy Company Obligation, all include solar panels as an eligible measure, subject to certain requirements. The Government is also exploring options to facilitate low-cost finance from retail lenders to help householders with the upfront costs of installation.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Carbon Emissions

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking tosupport the agriculture sectors to play a leading role in delivering net zero.

Lord Benyon: Achieving the net zero target is a priority for the Government. The Net Zero Strategy, national food strategy and 25 Year Environment Plan set out a range of specific commitments to further reduce emissions from agriculture. To deliver towards these we are developing a range of measures through the Agriculture Act, and our future farming policy, all with the aim of enabling farmers to optimise sustainable food production, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and allow consumer choices to drive those changes. In England, we are offering one-off payments and ongoing grants to support farmers to reduce their emissions. These schemes will pay for sustainable farming practices (such as reducing carbon emissions, creating and preserving habitat, and making landscape-scale environmental changes) and improvements to animal health and welfare. We will also support market-led approaches such as improved productivity and use of precision techniques.

Department for Transport

Shipping: Freight

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their Embracing the ocean: a Board of Trade paper, published on 10 March 2022, how they arrived at their assessment that maritime cargo volumes will treble by 2050; and what assessment they have made of how this will affect their international obligations to achievenet zero carbon emissions by 2050 and meet the biodiversity targets agreed at COP 15 in Montreal in December 2022.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The assessment made in the Board of Trade’s ‘Embracing the Ocean’ paper that maritime cargo volumes will treble by 2050 is drawn from the International Transport Forum (ITF) Discussion Paper, No. 2020/05 ‘Changing Demand for Maritime Trade’ (P. Cariou). That paper cites data from the ITF’s Transport Outlook (2019), which investigates how socio-economic changes (population, GDP trade and transport policies) affect global transport demand, including for maritime. The Government uses UK-level evidence rather than global-level evidence when analysing how UK shipping could contribute to meeting the UK’s economy-wide net-zero target. DfT has produced forecasts of the freight traffic at UK ports, which cover the period to 2050, which have been published online. The UK port freight traffic forecasts were taken into account in the research commissioned by DfT which informed the Net Zero Strategy pathways for UK domestic and international shipping. Further details on the Net Zero Strategy pathways for UK domestic and international shipping can be found on pages 342 and 343 of the Net Zero strategy itself.

High Speed 2 Line

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government whatpercentage of HS2 Phase 1 is complete.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Mark Thurston, CEO of HS2 Ltd has recently stated that Phase 1 is approximately 40% complete.

High Speed 2 Line

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government what are the terms of reference of (1) Project Silverlight, and (2) Operation Blue Diamond; who is undertaking the work; and when they are expected to report.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Project Silverlight and Project Blue Diamond are the titles of ongoing HS2 Ltd work to develop options with the Department for Transport on how the programme is phased and delivered. The Department for Transport publishes six-monthly parliamentary reports on HS2 and will provide updates in due course.

High Speed 2 Line

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the Secretary of State for Transport on 9 March (HCWS625), what (1) development, (2) design, and (3) construction, activities will be delayed for two years on HS2 (a) Phase 2A, (b) Phase 2B, and (c) Phase 1 Old Oak Common to Euston; and how much money will be saved as a result of those delays.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Secretary of State for Transport made a written statement to Parliament on 9 March 2023, setting out plans for rephasing some elements of the HS2 scheme. The Department for Transport is continuing to work through the implications of the funding settlement with HS2 Ltd. The Department for Transport publishes six-monthly parliamentary reports on HS2 and will provide updates in due course.

High Speed 2 Line

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many new bridge structures will be constructed as part of HS2 Phase 1; and of these, how many have been completed.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The total number of Bridges on Phase One is 261, 19 of which have been completed to date.

High Speed 2 Line: Colne Valley

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the percentage completion of construction in respect of HS2 Phase 1 of the Colne Valley Viaduct.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: It is not possible to give a percentage completion of the Colne Valley Viaduct as it has structural components that are constructed progressively, with different structures at various levels of completion. To illustrate progress, all abutments are complete, 206 precast segments have been erected, and 26 piers completed.

High Speed 2 Line

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the percentage completion of construction in respect of HS2 Phase 1 of (1) Euston Tunnel, (2) Northolt Tunnel, (3) Chiltern Tunnel, (4) Long Itchington Wood Tunnel, (5) Bromford Tunnel, and (6) cut and cover tunnels.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Five tunnel boring machines (TBMs) have been launched to date. On HS2’s longest tunnel, the Chiltern Tunnel, both TBMs ‘Florence’ and ‘Cecilia’ have passed the Amersham vent shaft and are now more than 5-and-a-half miles into their 10 mile drive. In Warwickshire, HS2 completed the first tunnel bore under Long Itchington Wood in July 2022 and the TBM ‘Dorothy’ has been relaunched for the second tunnel bore. In West London, two TBMs ‘Sushila’ and ‘Caroline’ were launched in October 2022 from West Ruislip to create the first section of HS2 tunnel in London. The progress of TBMs can be tracked on the HS2 website.

Peers: Correspondence

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to reply to the letter from Lord Berkeley to the Secretary of State for Transportof 16 August 2022 seeking geological information on the route of HS2.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department apologises for the delay in responding and a reply to this letter will be provided shortly.

Bus Services: Fares

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government how many bus tickets have been purchased under the Help for Households campaign;and what assessment they have made of the impact the campaign has had on passenger numbers in (1) urban, and (2) rural, areas.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government is providing up to £135 million to help bus operators cap single fares at £2 from 1 January to 30 June. Over 140 operators covering more than 4,700 routes in England outside London are currently participating, and the primary objectives of the scheme are to help people save on their regular travel costs and to increase bus usage. The Department for Transport is running a Monitoring and Evaluation exercise to review the scheme so that we will be in position to understand the impact it has brought on savings and patronage.

Motorways: Litter

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, (1) to give National Highways enforcement powers to tackle the dropping or dumping of litter on motorways in England, and (2) to increase penalties for those who commit such offences.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Government has no plans to give National Highways enforcement powers to tackle littering offences on motorways in England. National Highways is not an enforcement organisation as its focus is on safety and maintaining the road network. In recent years Government has bolstered Local Authority enforcement powers by raising the upper limit on fixed penalty notices for littering and introducing powers to issue the keeper of a vehicle from which litter is thrown with a civil penalty. We are committed to working with National Highways and across Government to improve enforcement around roadside littering offences.

Cycling and Electric Scooters: Accidents

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany casualties have been caused by (1) e-scooters, (2) e-cyclists, or (3) cyclists, in England in each of the last three years.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Statistics on road casualties are based on data collected via the STATS19 system of collisions reported by the police. STATS19 data does not allow the precise cause of collisions to be determined so it is not possible to provide figures for collisions caused by a particular road user type.  The number of casualties, including fatalities, involving (but not necessarily caused by) an e-scooter or a pedal cycle in England for the last 3 years for which data is available can be found in the below table. The majority of casualties in these collisions are the pedal cyclist or e-scooter user themselves.The Department cannot disaggregate non-powered pedal cycles from pedal-assisted pedal cycles or motorised pedal cycles. E-scooters only began to be identified within STATS19 from 2020 onwards. YearCasualties in collisions involving a pedal cycleCasualties in collisions involving an E-scooter201916,661Not available202015,964474202116,3671,396

Treasury

Childcare: Northern Ireland

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Spring Budget on 15 March, what are the Barnett consequentials for Northern Ireland of their pledge ofadditional spending on childcare.

Baroness Penn: As a result of Spring Budget 2023, the Northern Ireland Executive’s funding is increasing by £130m 2023-24 and 2024-25. The Block Grant Transparency publication will set out a full breakdown of funding for the Northern Ireland Executive in due course.